There are few scientists of the twentieth century whose life's work has created more excitement and controversy than that of physicist David Bohm (1917-1992). Exploring the philosophical implication of both physics and consciousness, Bohm's penchant for questioning scientific and social orthodoxy was the expression of a rare and maverick intelligence. For Bohm, the world of matter and the experience of consciousness were two aspects of a more fundamental process he called the implicate order. Without a working sensibility of what this implicate order might be, our conceptions of the various threads of Bohm's work--whether in quantum theory or social dialogue remain incomplete. But with an enhanced understanding of such an order, the wholeness of Bohm's work becomes apparent and accessible. For the first time in a single volume, The Essential David Bohm offers a comprehensive overview of Bohm's original works from a non-technical perspective. Including three chapters of previously unpublished material, each reading has been selected to highlight some aspect of the implicate order process, and to provide an introduction to one of the most provocative thinkers of our time.

戴维·玻姆（DavidJosephBohm，1917～1992）是饮誉当代的量子物理学家和科学思想家。他以反潮流的大无畏精神和严谨求实的科学态度对玻尔创立的量子力学正统观点提出了挑战，同时致力于量子理论的新解释。

戴维·约瑟夫·玻姆教授（DavidJosephBohm,1917年12月20日生于美国宾夕法尼亚州巴尓小镇；1992年10月12日卒于伦敦一家医院，享年74岁），把毕生精力奉献给了人类探索实在本性的科学事业。作为一位卓越的量子物理学家，他不仅在主流研究（诸如等离子体物理学理论、金属理论、高能粒子理论以及AB效应等等）中做出其独特的贡献，而且更重要得是，在量子力学的基础研究中，他以反潮流的大无畏精神和严谨求实的科学态度，对于玻尓创立的量子力学正统观点提出了挑战。

四十多年来，他于1952年发表的关于量子因果解释的两篇著名论文，一直是实在论物理学家从事量子力学基础研究的鼓舞力量和思想源泉。作为一位伟大的科学思想家，他和爱因斯坦一样，坚持科学的任务不仅在于描述自然，而且在于理解自然。他强调科学观念中概念的明晰性，高度重视第一原理的基础研究。他的自然哲学思想是反还原论的与开放的。他寓西方科学精神与东方哲学于一体，坚持受到现代科学支持的整体性实在观。他关于物质与精神本性的隐缠序观念，超越了传统科学与传统哲学的疆域，对于科学和人类文明的未来具有潜在的深远影响力。